Page 12 of A Matter of Time

“And what?” I asked, my tone a little sharper than I meant it to be.

He cocked an eyebrow at me like he was waiting for me to say something. I looked at him and waited. He laced his fingers slowly and continued to stare at me. I looked into his cool gray eyes and noticed for the billionth time how beautiful they were with the flecks of silver in them, and how much darker they got when he was annoyed. And then it hit me.

He could tell I’d had a revelation, and he smiled smugly.

“Did Sonja leave you flowers again?”

“Yes.” He smiled, but it never touched his eyes. They didn’t sparkle like they did when he was actually happy. When he was really pleased, there was a warm glow there that was irresistible.

“She’s got a huge crush on you, you know,” I reminded him, because it was sweet.

“Yes, I know.”

“But that’s not⁠—”

“I’ve told you and I’ve told her that I do not appreciate her advances toward me, no matter how innocent they may be. I gave specific directions that the behavior needed to stop.” He spoke very slowly, very crisply, spacing out each of his words so I’d be sure to hear them. “It is not appropriate office behavior and will no longer be tolerated. Between the flowers and the little notes and the chocolates on Valentine’s Day, I’m done.”

And that was where the “specific directions” thing came in. He had told her, explicitly, that he was not a fan of unsolicited gifts, but she’d persisted. It was a mistake, and I’d told her as well. Why she hadn’t listened to me was mind-boggling.

“What if I make her promise?” I asked him.

“No,” he snapped.

“But, boss, it’s just not⁠—”

“Call Darcy and tell her that I want her moved today and a new typist in here tomorrow. I want it done before lunch.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“What if Darcy’s got no one else to send us? You’re saying you’d rather answer your own phone than have her here?”

“You answer my phone, not her. She simply greets people who are directed here from the front desk.”

This was an excellent point.

“I want her out,” he repeated.

“But what if they’ve got nowhere to send her? Maybe then she won’t be able to afford rent or⁠—”

“I don’t care.”

“Wow. That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“You and I both know that’s not how it works,” he apprised me, and I could see that his patience was at an end. I knew instantly that there had to be something else bothering him. He hated to be irritated, hated repeating himself, but minor annoyances never got to him. He was a rock. “Everyone needs office help. She will be placed somewhere new tomorrow without any gap in employment. She works for a service until someone takes her on permanently.”

And I knew that. “Yes, I⁠—”

“She goes today. I’ve had it. I will not be irritated every day for no reason.”

“But—”

“She’s gone. I gave her every chance.”

“Why should she be punished because she finds you irresistible?” I thought maybe I could appeal to his vanity. “I’d think it would be nice to walk into the office first thing every morning and know that someone thought you were the absolute epitome of everything that was right with the world. I know I’d like it. It would be very flattering.”

“Unlike others—” Meaning me, of course. And I got it even before he let it hang in the air between us. “—I don’t need my ego perpetually stroked. She needs to go, and go now. And furthermore, I don’t think you would find it flattering, I think you’d find it to be much more like harassment. At least I hope you would have that much integrity.” After a beat he asked, “Do you?”